One aspect of the invention includes and method of generating virtual autostereoscopic images using a computer. The method may include defining at least one object in a virtual three-dimensional space and defining a virtual point of view. Images may be generated by simulating a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object. The generated images and be displayed and stored.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of generating virtual autostereoscopic images using a computer, comprising: creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image; defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space; generating images by simulating, in the virtual three-dimensional space, a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object with respect to a fixed virtual point of view; offsetting, with a vertex shader, a position of the at least one object; storing the generated images; and displaying the generated images.
2. A method of generating virtual autostereoscopic images using a computer, comprising: creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image; defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space; generating images by simulating a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object by applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object, wherein the parallax offset varies with respect to a distance between the at least one object and a convergence plane, and further wherein the parallax offset is zero at the convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value; storing the generated images; and displaying the generated images.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the parallax offset varies linearly between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the parallax offset varies according to a nonlinear function between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the generating step further includes using a vertex shader to offset a position of the at least one object.
6. The method of claim 2 , further including maintaining the virtual point of view at a fixed location.
7. A method of generating an image, comprising: creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software environment, a scene to be imaged; automatically monitoring at least one scene parameter associated with the scene to be imaged, the scene parameter including a distance between an observer and an object in the scene; determining a parallax scanning parameter based on the at least one scene parameter; applying the parallax scanning parameter to at least one object in the scene with respect to a fixed virtual point of view associated with the scene; generating an image including the at least one object; and displaying the generated image on a display.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the parallax scanning parameter includes at least one of a parallax angle and a convergence distance.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the scene parameter includes an observer motion speed.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the scene parameter includes a distance between an observer and an object in the scene.
11. A computer readable memory storing machine readable code, the machine readable code containing instructions for a computer to perform a method comprising: creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image; defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space; generating images by simulating, in the virtual three-dimensional space, a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object; storing the generated images; and displaying the generated images; wherein the parallax scanning motion is simulated by applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object, wherein the parallax offset is zero at a convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value.
12. The computer readable memory of claim 11 , wherein the machine readable code contains instructions for the computer to maintain the virtual point of view at a fixed location.
13. A computer based imaging system, comprising: a computer readable memory storing machine readable code containing instructions for creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image, defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space, and generating images by simulating a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object; a processor that executes the instructions stored on the computer readable memory; a data storage location that stores one or more of the generated images; and a display that displays the generated images; wherein the parallax scanning motion is simulated by applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object, wherein the parallax offset is zero at a convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value.
14. The computer based imaging system of claim 13 , wherein the computer readable memory includes instructions for maintaining the virtual point of view at a fixed location.
15. A method of generating virtual autostereoscopic images using a computer, comprising: defining at least one object in a virtual three-dimensional space; defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space; generating images by simulating a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object by applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object, wherein the parallax offset is zero at a convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value; storing the generated images; and displaying the generated images.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the parallax offset varies linearly between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the parallax offset varies according to a nonlinear function between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the generating step further includes using a vertex shader to offset a position of the at least one object.
19. The method of claim 15 , further including maintaining the virtual point of view at a fixed location.
20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parallax offset varies linearly between a convergence plane and the threshold distance value.
21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parallax offset varies according to a nonlinear function between a convergence plane and the threshold distance value.
22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fixed point of view includes a first point of view associated with a first frame or a first set of frames and a second point of view associated with a second frame or a second set of frames.
23. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fixed point of view includes a first point of view associated with a first frame or a first set of frames and a second point of view associated with a second frame or a second set of frames.
24. A method of generating virtual autostereoscopic images using a computer, comprising: creating, in a virtual three-dimensional software space, a scene to be imaged by defining at least one object in the virtual space, wherein the at least one object includes a computer-generated image; defining a virtual point of view, associated with the virtual space; generating images by simulating, in the virtual three-dimensional space, a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object at a first virtual point of view, wherein the first virtual point of view is fixed for at least one of a first frame and a first set of frames; storing the generated images; and displaying the generated images.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein generating images includes simulating, in a virtual three-dimensional space, a parallax scanning motion of the at least one object at a second virtual point of view, wherein the second virtual point of view is fixed for at least one of a first frame and a first set of frames.
26. The method of claim 24 , wherein the generating step further includes applying a parallax offset to a position of the at least one object.
27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the parallax offset varies with respect to a distance between the at least one object and a convergence plane.
28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the parallax offset is zero at the convergence plane and has a maximum value at a predetermined threshold distance value.
29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the parallax offset varies linearly between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.
30. The method of claim 26 , wherein the parallax offset varies according to a nonlinear function between the convergence plane and the threshold distance value.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 26, 2003
December 9, 2008
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